Department for Transport

Roads: Capital Investment

lord hunt of chesterton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to increase the level of funding allocated through their Road Investment Strategy to widen any 3-lane highways which have been found to be dangerous.

baroness sugg: Safety is the first responsibility for both the Department and Highways England, and one of the key aims Her Majesty’s Government has set for both the Road Investment Strategy 1 and Road Investment Strategy 2. An affordable, deliverable investment plan that meets the Government’s objectives for RIS2 is under development, and final decisions will be announced in 2019.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

lord porter of spalding: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will make further funding available to local authorities to maintain local roads and repair potholes.

baroness sugg: The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in the Budget 2018 that a further £420 million is being made available to local highway authorities in England, outside London, to maintain their local road network, including the repair of potholes. This funding is in addition to just over £6 billion which the Government is allocating to highway authorities for local highway maintenance from 2015 to 2021.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Families

baroness eaton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy policies have been assessed against the Family Test; and whether they have published the outcome of any such assessments.

lord henley: The Government is committed to supporting families. In order to achieve this, in 2014 we introduced the Family Test, which aims to ensure that impacts on family relationships and functioning are recognised early on during the process of policy development and help inform the policy decisions made by Ministers. The majority of BEIS policy areas do not have a direct impact on the formation, make-up, or breakdown of families. However, where these impacts are relevant, the Family Test is applied to policy changes in a proportionate manner. Officials leading directly on the policy development are responsible for undertaking this analysis, and for advising Ministers on these impacts. When applicable, analysis on family impacts is included within impact assessments, which are publically available. This analysis is usually qualitative in nature, as it is difficult to make quantitative estimates on the impacts from policy changes. Following implementation of the policy, BEIS monitors and reviews its impacts in a proportionate manner.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

China: Falun Gong

lord suri: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to evaluate the credibility of evidence of the forced organ harvesting of practitioners of Falun Gong in China.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We are aware of reports that allege that a process of involuntary organ removal may be taking place in China, including suggestions that minority and religious groups are being specifically targeted. The UK Government fully supports the Declaration of Istanbul (May 2008), which encourages all countries to draw up legal and professional frameworks to govern organ donation and transplantation activities.As the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister for Europe and the Americas, Sir Alan Duncan, stated in a Westminster Hall debate in October 2016: “Although I do not doubt the need to maintain close scrutiny of organ transplant practices in China, we believe that the evidence base is not sufficiently strong to substantiate claims about the systematic harvesting of organs from minority groups. Indeed, based on all the evidence available to us, we cannot conclude that this practice of “organ harvesting” is definitely happening in China.”The World Health Organisation (WHO) collates global data on organ donations and works with China. The WHO view is that China is implementing an ethical, voluntary organ transplant system in accordance with international standards, although the WHO does have concerns about overall transparency.We continue to review any new evidence that is presented to us.

Department for Education

T-levels

baroness garden of frognal: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether contingency plans are in place to extend the implementation date for the first three T Levels beyond September 2020if necessary.

baroness garden of frognal: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have considered delaying the T Level implementation date if (1) no responses are received to the Invitation to Tender (ITT) for the first three T Levels, and (2) no responses are received that meet the required standards specified in the T Level ITT documents.

lord agnew of oulton: The introduction of T levels is a major change programme and we have a comprehensive programme of work underway to secure successful implementation and manage risks. We are on track for the first three T levels to be taught from September 2020, and recently achieved a significant step towards this by publishing the invitation to tender for the development of the associated technical qualifications. The introduction of T levels in 2020 is purposely focused on a small number of T levels in a small number of education providers. We are working closely with these providers to ensure they have the support they need to meet the timetable. Over the coming months, we will continue to monitor progress by working closely with providers, employers and other delivery partners to ensure that we remain on track for teaching the first T levels in 2020. We have received eight bids from organisations that are keen to develop and deliver the technical qualifications for the T levels due to be introduced in September 2020. We have been in regular dialogue with awarding organisations, including through engagement events for potential suppliers and sharing of the draft invitation to tender. We are confident that the first T levels will be available from September 2020, and we will continue to keep our progress under constant review.

T-levels

baroness garden of frognal: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to determine the content and format of the transition year for learners who are not ready to embark upon a level 3 T Level programme; and when information on this will be shared with the awarding bodies.

lord agnew of oulton: The government wants to develop an effective transition offer to make sure that as many students as possible can complete T levels. We are currently working with providers and sector bodies to gather evidence on existing good practice of similar transition programmes to inform content and to consider how the transition offer can best be targeted. We will set out further information in due course and ahead of our phased implementation approach to the transition offer once the first T levels are introduced in 2020.

T-levels

baroness garden of frognal: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are taking steps to align learners in England with those in the rest of the UK by ensuring that they receive a T Level Technical Qualification certificate which recognises their technical qualification achievement.

lord agnew of oulton: We have been clear that only those who have successfully completed all elements of the T level will be awarded a T level certificate. We have designed T levels as qualifications to be taught as composite programmes in which all of the components are important to employers. To maintain the integrity of T levels, we do not intend for the technical qualification to be separately certificated. Education and training in the UK is devolved, and it is therefore for the three devolved administrations to determine the provision that is most appropriate for their citizens.

T-levels

baroness garden of frognal: To ask Her Majesty's Government what provisions are in place to ensure learners in England are (1) able to access T Levels within reasonable distance of their homes, and (2) have access to alternative funding provision to pursue learning in a specific skill area not covered by a T Level provider in their area.

lord agnew of oulton: We are implementing T levels in a measured roll-out, building from the first three in September 2020 to a total of 25 courses across the country by 2024. T levels will provide training for skilled occupations at level 3 where there is a substantial requirement for technical knowledge and practical skills. The Institute for Apprenticeships has published occupational maps, identifying these occupations. We want students to be able to access T levels regardless of where they live, but it will be for local providers to decide which courses to offer, taking into account local skills needs and demand from students. We are aware of the potential barriers that some students may face in accessing industry placements in rural areas and are working with the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to consider how we can make sure that students who live in rural areas are not disadvantaged. Providers in receipt of Capacity and Delivery Fund allocations to support industry placements have also been allocated additional 16-19 Discretionary Bursary funding of just under £2.5 million to support students on their placements, for example, to help support their travel costs. We confirmed in the government response to the T level consultation that we would proceed with a review of level 3 qualifications to make sure that any qualifications funded alongside A levels and T levels are high quality, have a distinct purpose and lead to good outcomes. We will shortly release more information about this review.

T-levels

baroness garden of frognal: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the review of (1) level 2, (2) wider level 3, and (3) level 4 and 5 T Level qualifications; when they intend to publish details of the reviews and evidence base; and when they intend to share the conclusions with the awarding bodies.

lord agnew of oulton: We are reviewing qualifications at level 3 and below to make sure that any qualifications funded alongside A levels and T levels are high quality, have a distinct purpose and lead to good outcomes. The review will consult in two stages. The first stage of consultation will cover the principles, scope and broad process of the review. The second stage will cover the criteria that will be used to determine the suitability of the qualification for public funding. We will set out more detailed plans shortly.We began a review of higher level technical education in October 2017. This review is looking across level 4 and 5 education, focusing on how technical qualifications at this level can better address the needs of leaners and employers. We published an interim evidence overview in August that summarises our research findings to date. We expect to publish level 4 and 5 proposals for consultation alongside the conclusion of the post-18 review in early 2019.

T-levels

lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that T Level industry placements are made available in suitable volumes in the sectors and locations where they are needed.

lord agnew of oulton: The department is keen to ensure that all T level students will have access to high quality industry placements.The consultation on T levels earlier this year asked how we can support all students to access industry placements relevant to their course in areas where there are not employers to offer industry placements nearby. Feedback from this, and from the industry placement pilot scheme last year, helped identify what support is needed[1]. We have provided nearly £60 million this academic year to help post-16 providers to build their capacity and capability to deliver industry placements in advance of T level roll-out. We are working with the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs to understand how students in rural, coastal and remote areas can access industry placements.We are carrying out extensive stakeholder engagement across levy industries to ensure that industry placement policy generates placements that are meaningful and reflective of current industry practice. This will help to widen access to T levels in all parts of the country.  [1] This support includes clear guidance for employers and providers to understand their roles and responsibilities, an advice and support service for employers to help reduce the burden on employers, additional funding to support students access placements and the offer of intensive support for providers, where this is required.

T-levels

lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether an overall grading approach will be applied to T Levels.

lord agnew of oulton: As we set out in the government response to the T level consultation, published in May 2018, we intend to award an overall grade for T levels. An overall grade will be awarded to any students who successfully complete all of the required components, including attainment of the technical qualification, completion of the industry placement, attainment of level 2 English and maths and achievement of any other specified elements of the T level programme. We intend to provide more details about the overall grading system for T levels in the next T level action plan, which is due to be published later this autumn.

T-levels

lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are planning (1) a public awareness campaign, and (2) the release of resources to employers and learners to help build understanding about the different grades that learners can achieve within the component parts of a T Level.

lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to promote T Levels to (1) learners, (2) employers, and (3) the public so they are known and understood more widely.

lord agnew of oulton: Our T level communications campaign will be launched in 2019, ensuring that parents, teachers, students and the wider public knows about T levels and where they fit among other choices after GCSEs.We are communicating with a range of key audiences through several different channels and events to increase awareness of T levels. We recently launched a short animated video introducing T levels, which has been circulated on social media and can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bv3zpEAm3sk&feature=youtu.be.We have also provided £5 million to the National Apprenticeship Service, who have widened their remit to provide an advice and support service for employers, which includes raising awareness and promoting the benefits of T levels and industry placements.The communications campaign will increase each year, taking account of student numbers and key decision-making times. We are working closely with the 2020 providers to develop the campaign, which will include resources to support regional communications. We understand the need to fully explain the grading system for T levels and our communications will provide clarity on this issue.

Armed Forces: Cadets

lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many cadet and combined cadet forces there are in the (1) academy, and (2) maintained sector; and what assessment they have made of the number of cadet and combined cadet forces in independent schools.

lord agnew of oulton: The government is committed to supporting the growth of cadet units and delivering 500 cadet units in schools by 2020 through the Cadet Expansion Programme. There are currently 164 combined cadet units in academies, 87 in maintained schools (including 22 in the devolved administrations), 14 in university technical colleges and 11 in further education colleges. 195 independent schools have a cadet unit, including 21 in devolved administrations. In 2010, there were 61 combined cadet units in state sector schools.

Ministry of Justice

Prisoners: Suicide

lord bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people in prison are currently managed under the Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork care planning system.

lord bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork care planning system programmes were established in each of the last five years.

lord keen of elie: On 25 October 2018, 2,640 prisoners were being supported and managed through the Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) process. The number of ACCT documents opened in each of the last five years is:2013 337162014 371972015 437142016 481012017 49298These are the numbers of occasions on which an ACCT was opened. Because there are many cases of individual prisoners being supported using ACCT more than once within a year, the figures for each year are considerably higher than the number of prisoners who have been supported during that year. The Government takes very seriously its responsibility to keep staff and prisoners safe, and we are committed to reducing the incidence of self harm, suicide and violence across the estate. This is why we have established a prison safety programme through which we are taking forward a comprehensive set of actions to improve safety in custody, including: rolling out revised and improved training for staff in assessing and managing the risk of suicide and self-harm amongst prisoners (which has already reached more than 17,000 staff); improving support for prisoners in their early days in custody; revising the ACCT case management process for those identified as being at risk; and renewing our partnership with the Samaritans by confirming a further three years' grant funding for their valuable Listeners Scheme.

Offenders: Suicide

lord patel of bradford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of suicide rates among offenders on licence and in prisons; what assessment they have made of whether thenumber of offenders in the prison system contributes to those suicide rates; and whether they have plans to reduce the number of offenders in the prison system.

lord keen of elie: The Government publishes data on the number of deaths among offenders being supervised in the community, and on the number and rates of deaths in prisons. The most recent statistics were released on 25 October 2018. In the year to March 2018, among offenders under post-release supervision there were 1.4 self-inflicted deaths per 1,000 offenders, down from 1.7 per 1,000 in the previous year. This rate is calculated against a snapshot of the number of offenders under supervision on 31 March, not against the total number who had been supervised during the year. The rate of self-inflicted deaths in prison in the year to September 2018 was 1.0 per 1,000 prisoners: up from 0.9 per 1,000 in the previous 12 months, but below the rate in each of the three years before that. The Government takes very seriously its responsibility to keep staff and prisoners safe, and we are committed to reducing the incidence of self-harm and suicide across the estate. This is why we have established a prison safety programme through which we are taking forward a comprehensive set of actions to improve safety in custody. They include:investing in over 3,000 additional staff in order to deliver consistent, purposeful regimes;introducing the new key worker role, under which staff can give prisoners more effective support;rolling out revised and improved training for staff in assessing and managing the risk of suicide and self-harm amongst prisoners (this has already reached more than 17,000 staff);improving support for prisoners in their early days in custody;revising the ACCT case management process for those identified as being at risk; andrenewing our partnership with the Samaritans by confirming a further three years' grant funding for their valuable Listeners Scheme.We want to see prison numbers come down, but not by setting an arbitrary figure for reduction. Custody should achieve justice, by holding offenders whose crime is so serious that no other penalty will do, or who would pose a danger to the public if released. It must also rehabilitate those prisoners, because society is entitled to expect them to make a fresh start when they get out. We are determined to do better by offenders who are sent to prison, to make them less likely to return. There is persuasive evidence that short custodial sentences do not achieve that, and that community sentences can be more effective at reducing re-offending. We will therefore look at what more we can do to emphasise that short custodial sentences should be viewed as a last resort.

Prison Sentences

lord trefgarne: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether prisoners serving sentences of imprisonment for public protectionand who continue to protest their innocence are denied access to rehabilitative courses which may lead to their release.

lord keen of elie: Maintaining innocence is not a barrier to progression, and there are a number of offending behaviour programmes available to prisoners who maintain their innocence, including those serving sentences of Imprisonment for Public Protection. It is not mandatory for prisoners to complete offending behaviour programmes in order to achieve release. It should also be borne in mind that completion of a programme is no guarantee that risk has been reduced. The independent Parole Board consider all the available evidence when assessing prisoners’ risks and their suitability for release.

Juries: Allowances

lord foulkes of cumnock: To ask Her Majesty's Government what overnight allowance is paid to jurors in trials in the High Court who have to stay overnight in London to attend a trial.

lord keen of elie: The High Court has not conducted a jury trial since 2016. Use of juries in High Court trials is rare. When juries are used, the jurors are called from within Greater London through the Jury Central Summonsing Bureau. No overnight allowance is payable and the need for overnight accommodation is not envisaged.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Landlords: Databases

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they plan to make the database of rogue landlords and property agents publicly available.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: We intend to bring forward legislation to make information held on the database of rogue landlords and property agents public as soon as parliamentary time allows.

Private Rented Housing: Tenants

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment have they made of the adequacy of the legislation protecting private sector tenants.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Government is committed to offering stronger protections for private sector tenants and ensuring that people are living in safe and good quality properties.Tenants are protected from eviction through the Protection from Eviction Act 1977, the Housing Act 1988, the Housing Act 1985 and through the retaliatory eviction provisions in the Deregulation Act 2015.Other legislation includes the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 requiring landlords to keep electrical installations in the property in repair and proper working order and the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS), introduced by the Housing Act 2004 to assess health and safety in residential properties. The Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) regulations protect tenants from death or injury in the home caused by smoke and carbon monoxide poisoning, and the Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Sector Property) (England and Wales) Regulations improve the energy efficiency of domestic privately rented properties.Government is now going further and has announced a mandatory requirement on landlords in the private rented sector to ensure electrical installations in their property are inspected every five years and is supporting the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Bill.

Housing Revenue Accounts

lord porter of spalding: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that councils can make use ofany additional flexibilitymade possible by the removal of the cap on councils' borrowing against their Housing Revenue Account assets to finance the construction of new homes without undue bureaucracy.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Autumn Budget announced the complete abolition of the Housing Revenue Account borrowing cap with immediate effect. Following consultation, we have issued a determination that revoked the previous determinations specifying local authority limits on indebtedness, and as a result local authorities can now borrow for housebuilding in accordance with the Prudential Code. We want to see local authorities seize this opportunity and build a new generation of council housing.

Housing: Construction

lord porter of spalding: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to make any changes to the New Homes Bonus scheme in the next financial year.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Local Government Finance Settlement Technical consultation noted that the Government was not consulting on further changes to the New Homes Bonus for 2019/20 allocations but that the level of the baseline for growth, below which new allocations of the New Homes Bonus are not made, would be reviewed prior to the announcement of provisional allocations for 2019/20. As outlined in the Technical consultation, any changes to the baseline in 2019/20 will be announced at the time of the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement.

Affordable Housing: Construction

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the claim by the Centre of Social Justice in its report, A Social Housing Strategy, published on 27 October, thatdesignated affordable new homes do not reduce the housing benefit bill.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: This Government's priorities are to boost housing supply and to build more affordable homes, supporting the different needs of a wide range of people. The Government is committed to increasing the supply of affordable housing and has made £9 billion available through the Affordable Homes Programme to March 2022 to deliver 250,000 new affordable homes of a wide range of tenures, including social rent. Since 2010 we have delivered over 378,000 new affordable homes, including over 273,000 affordable homes for rent.We have not directly carried out an assessment in response to the claim made by the Centre for Social Justice. However, new affordable housing reduces pressure on the Housing Benefit bill by enabling people to live in sub-market rent homes which, on average, have lower associated housing benefit costs than the Local housing Allowance on an equivalent home in the private rented sector.We have listened to the housing sector. We have increased the size of the Affordable Homes Programme, re-introduced social rent, lifted the Housing Revenue Account borrowing cap for local authorities, and are setting a long term rent deal for councils and housing associations in England from 2020. Housing associations and local authorities now need to accelerate delivery and build more affordable homes.

Non-domestic Rates: Tax Allowances

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the reported position of the Federation of Small Businesses for business rate relief to extend beyond retail to the hospitality and service sectors.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: At the Autumn Budget 2018, the Chancellor announced the launch of a retail relief scheme worth almost £900 million for retail properties with a rateable value of below £51,000. The scheme will provide a one third discount in 2019/20 and 2020/21 to eligible retail properties, including independent shops, pubs, restaurants and cafés.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Bees: Neonicotinoids

baroness kennedy of cradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the use of neonicotinoid seed treatment and its effect on the bee population.

lord gardiner of kimble: We always use the best available science when making decisions on pesticides, and risks to pollinators are a key consideration. Pesticides that carry unacceptable risks to pollinators should not be authorised. Since 2013, the use of three neonicotinoids (clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam) has been prohibited on a number of crops, such as oilseed rape, that are deemed attractive to bees. Since that time, the evidence on risks to pollinators has continued to develop and includes several field studies that indicate risks from exposure to pollen and nectar from treated crops. Last year, the UK Expert Committee on Pesticides confirmed that the evidence supported the existing restrictions. The Committee also noted the potential for neonicotinoids used on non-flowering crops to persist in soil and to be taken up by following flowering crops or by weeds. On the basis of this assessment, the Government announced its support for further restrictions on neonicotinoid pesticides. In April 2018, the UK voted in favour of European Commission proposals that will see a ban on any outdoor use of these three neonicotinoids from December 2018. Unless the scientific evidence changes, the Government will maintain these increased restrictions after leaving the EU.

Hare Coursing

baroness kennedy of cradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of problems caused by illegal hare coursing.

lord gardiner of kimble: The Government is aware of the issue of illegal hare coursing and the considerable concern it can cause to rural communities. We recognise that local police forces are taking steps to address hare coursing and associated crimes and that this is an operational matter for the police. The role of locally elected Police and Crime Commissioners is to hold their forces to account, including on how they tackle the crimes that matter most to residents and businesses. The National Wildlife Crime Unit includes hare coursing as one of its priorities. In addition, the six police forces across the East of England have come together and are deploying Operation Galileo to tackle hare coursing.

Environment Protection

lord krebs: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to establish a shadow environmental watchdog to come into effect on 30 March 2019 in the event of a no-deal Brexit; and if so, (1) how the membership of that shadow watchdog will be determined, (2) what powers the shadow watchdog will have, (3) what the shadow watchdog’s budget will be, and (4) whether they will set a date by which the shadow watchdog will be replaced by a permanent body.

lord gardiner of kimble: The Government has committed to the implementation of a new environment body to hold the Government to account regarding compliance with its environmental legislation.We will work to ensure that this body is in place as soon as possible after leaving the EU if no deal has been secured with the necessary powers to review and, if necessary, take enforcement action.Any interim measures that may be necessary under a no deal scenario before the new body is formally established will be set out in due course.

Environment Protection

baroness jones of whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Gardiner of Kimble on 24 October (HL10776), what are the names of the specialists involved in developing the draft indicator framework for the 25 Year Environment Plan.

lord gardiner of kimble: The Environment Analysis Unit in Defra is leading on the development of the indicator framework for the 25 Year Environment Plan. Defra’s Chief Scientific Adviser and Science Advisory Council are providing independent challenge to this process. Over three hundred people from across Defra, academic, business and voluntary organisations have also been involved.

Home Office

Child Sexual Abuse Independent Panel Inquiry

baroness cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse will include an examination of cases of honour-based abuse in the UK.

baroness cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse will consider cases of sexual grooming in the UK, including an examination of the particular characteristics of the perpetrators.

baroness williams of trafford: On 25 April 2018 the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse published details of the areas it will investigate and research in its interim report - https://www.iicsa.org.uk/reports/interim.The Inquiry is independent of government and its independence is crucial to its effectiveness. It is for the Inquiry to decide how to conduct its investigations within its terms of reference. As a statutory inquiry, under the Inquiries Act 2005, it has the powers and autonomy it needs to fulfil its important role of getting to the truth, exposing what has gone wrong and learning lessons for the future.

Asylum

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether asylum applicants who are required to attend regular appointments at reporting centres are now obliged to travel to Salford; and if so, why they may not attend appointments near the place where they reside.

baroness williams of trafford: Asylum seekers are not required to report until they have received a negative decision on their application and when they are in receipt of support, their travel costs are met.Individuals may be required to attend the nearest reporting centre or other location, including police stations, to their home address. There is no upper limit to the distance which an individual may be required to travel in order to attend their nearest reporting location but the Home Office assesses the needs of all types of reportees, not only asylum seekers when deciding reporting frequency and location.As part of Immigration Enforcement’s transformation programme the Home Office is rationalising the use of reporting locations to move reportees to locations which are fully resourced to deal with each individual and their needs. We work closely with our estates partners to identify sites that provide adequate access to the public, security and accommodation that would enable us to provide a good level of service to the reporting population.Individuals would only be required to report to Salford if this is the nearest suitable reporting location to their address.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Brexit

lord steel of aikwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government, what assessment they have made ofthe speech by the King of the Netherlands to both Houses of Parliament on 23 October; and what steps they are taking to safeguardthecurrent rights of Dutch citizens living in the UK and British citizens living in the Netherlands after Brexit.

lord callanan: We welcomed the King's remarks, particularly that Brexit does not mean goodbye, but merely a new start in the close, historic relationship between the UK and the Netherlands. That is a view we share.Safeguarding citizens’ rights is our first priority for negotiations. The draft Withdrawal Agreement will provide certainty about the rights of UK nationals in the EU and EU citizens in the UK going forward. We are implementing this agreement through the EU Settlement Scheme and are working with Member States, including the Netherlands, to understand how they will do the same.

Customs and Immigration Controls: Calais

baroness mcintosh of pickering: To ask Her Majesty's Government what contingency plans are in place regarding customs and immigration arrangements at Calais in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

lord callanan: The government does not want or expect a no deal outcome. In any scenario, the government’s objective is to ensure that movement through ports is as frictionless as possible.In the unlikely event we do not reach an agreement with the EU, HMRC will continue to apply an automated, risk-based approach to customs checks. This means any increase in the number of checks will be kept to a minimum. For passengers travelling to the UK from Calais, Border Force will continue to carry out security and identity checks on 100 per cent of passengers. While the EU may choose to impose third country controls it is not clear how soon these would come into effect.

Treasury

Bank Services

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the future of universal banking in the UK.

lord bates: Financial entities that wish to operate as universal banks are subject to the 2012 Financial Services (Banking Reform) Act. The Act requires large UK banks with retail deposits totaling more than £25 billion to ring-fence the deposits of individuals and small businesses from other activities within their groups, such as investment and international banking. By insulating these core banking services in a separate legal entity, ring-fencing will support continuity of provision of vital services to the economy if there are shocks originating elsewhere in the group and the global financial system. It will also make banks that provide these essential services simpler and more resolvable and therefore prevent the costs of failing banks falling on taxpayers. This restructuring was successfully completed by all UK banks within scope in the summer of 2018 and the regime will come into force in January 2019. Ring-fencing has been part of the Government’s package of banking reforms since 2010, designed to deliver a stable, sustainable and competitive banking system so banks will be better placed to meet their core purpose of lending to the real economy and contributing to economic growth. As part of this strategy, competition and innovation is at the heart of the Government’s vision for UK financial services to deliver greater choice and value for all.

Mortgages

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for tenant rent payments to be taken into account by mortgage lenders.

lord bates: Whilst meeting rental payments is not sufficient in itself to demonstrate affordability over the lifetime of a loan, the Government believes it is right that a history of paying rent should be recognised in tenants’ credit scores and in affordability assessments. That’s why, at Autumn Budget 2017, the Government announced the Rent Recognition Challenge: a £2m competition seeking FinTech solutions to enable tenants to record and share their rental data. The Challenge uses the ingenuity of the technology sector to deliver solutions that work for both consumers and businesses. One of the leading credit reference agencies Experian has recently announced that rental payments will now be reflected in their credit score reports, and is working with winners of the Challenge.

Bank Services

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of challenger banks on the retail banking sector in the UK.

lord bates: Government recognises the crucial role challenger banks play in increasing competition in the retail banking sector by providing customers with more choice on the high street. Current Account Switch Service (CASS) statistics show that some challenger banks have featured amongst the firms with the highest net gains, which indicates the positive impact that they are having on customer choice. Government will continue to encourage an environment that allows challenger banks to thrive.

Private Equity

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment, if any, they have made of private equity as an investment vehicle.

lord bates: Private equity and venture capital have provided over £27 billion of investment into more than 3,900 UK companies in the past five years. Between 2008 and 2014 private equity and venture capital generated on average 14.9% annual returns for pension funds and other investors (source: British Venture Capital & Private Equity Association). The consultation ‘Financing growth in innovative firms’ published in August 2017 recognised that the UK’s private equity industry is very developed, with the UK host to a quarter of the top 20 private equity investors in the world, and the government’s response set out a plan to strengthen the UK’s position as a global leader in the market for growth capital for innovative businesses. Further measures were set out at Budget 2018.

Financial Services

lord birt: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will require firms offering international money transfer services to show the difference between the exchange rate they are offering and the interbank rate after Brexit.

lord bates: Currently the Cross Border Payments Regulation (CPBR), an EU regulation, sets rules on the pricing of cross-border euro payments. A revised regulation, “CPBR2”, is currently under negotiation in the EU. The original Commission proposal, would, amongst other things, mandate greater transparency for cross-border payments which include currency conversion, through for example reference to the interbank exchange rate. The Government is broadly supportive of proposals which make financial services more affordable and pricing more transparent for consumers, while ensuring that regulation is proportionate to the risks that it seeks to address.The Government is making good progress towards agreeing a Withdrawal Agreement with the EU, including an Implementation Period during which common rules would continue to apply until 31 December 2020.After the Implementation Period, our proposal for the future UK-EU relationship on financial services would ensure that the development of regulation would be an autonomous matter for both the UK and the EU. Equally, we acknowledge that maintaining continued EU market access will, where necessary, involve maintaining comparable regulatory outcomes with the EU. The Chancellor has been clear that it is vitally important that the UK and the EU, with our common values and standards, continue to work closely together to further enhance the strong international rules we have forged in financial services. The Government has not committed to any changes to the policy outcomes of the current regime following the UK’s exit from the EU.

Bank Services: Hacking

lord maginnis of drumglass: To ask Her Majesty's Government what statutory reporting systems banks in the UK are subject to in respect of money stolen from customer accounts through hacking.

lord bates: Under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, both the Bank of England and the Financial Conduct Authority have powers that require regulated firms to report to them when that firm suffers operational disruption from a cyber attack. Under the European Banking Authority’s Payment Services Directive 2 regulation, firms are also required to report operational or security disruption of payments services to the Financial Conduct Authority.

Banks: Regulation

lord maginnis of drumglass: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether banking laws and regulations apply consistently across all regions of the UK.

lord bates: Financial services, including banking, is generally a reserved matter under the devolution settlements for Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. The majority of banking laws and regulations therefore apply consistently across all regions of the UK.

Company Finance

lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on financial stability of the growth of leveraged corporate debt with weak lending covenants; what assessment they have made of any parallels with the situation before the global financial crisis; and what steps they intend to take to restrain that growth.

lord bates: The Financial Policy Committee (FPC) of the Bank of England is the body responsible for monitoring systemic risks in the financial sector and, where appropriate, taking action to remove or reduce systemic risks with a view to protecting and enhancing the resilience of the UK financial system. The FPC set out its most recent assessment of risks to UK financial stability in the Record of its 3 October meeting, published on 17 October. This included an assessment of the risks from corporate indebtedness and the growth in leveraged lending. The FPC will publish its next assessment of risks to UK financial stability in the Financial Stability Report on 5 December.